Gratitude for a compassionate community!

Written by Sheetal S M, Lead – Youth Engagement at Udhyam Shiksha

Gratitude for a compassionate community!

As we continue to wait for the lockdown to be lifted, I hope you all are doing well and staying safe. The daily updates of the impact of COVID-19 takes me through a tsunami of emotions. At the same time, my heart is filled with gratitude for the resilience of our youngsters and the dedication of our volunteers. It is amazing to see that everyone, irrespective of their other commitments, have come together to do their best and ensure that learning continues.

Every other day, we have online sessions scheduled on various topics and it is fulfilling to see the enthusiasm and zeal of the youngsters towards learning. There is a spark in their eyes, a love for learning irrespective of the method and their questions have left me awestruck. And, yes, there is fun and laughter in the sessions too. At times, we have internet glitches. On one such occasion, the youngsters commented, “Oh! Sir, has got struck! He has become a statue. Oh God! What to do now? Let’s say ‘release’ and see if he unfreezes.” The best part was that the minute they said the word, the facilitator was back online again! The joke was shared with the faculty and the session was magically filled with laughter.

These youngsters are not only enthusiastic about learning but also love teaching Kannada words to facilitators who don’t know the language. I have never noticed such unbridled enthusiasm in a long time; it brings out their authentic character through the things that excite them. Their enthusiasm is infectious and beyond words or stresses that sometimes take hold of life.

The most resounding compliment I heard recently was from Krishnan, who heads the Shiksha program at Udhyam. He told me that our online efforts were effective and wanted to know more about how we overcame the challenges of dance sessions through webinar. Well, what do I say? Thanks to our volunteers Smita and Srilaxmi who facilitate the session on dance, it is amazing to see how seamlessly the youngsters learn the steps and enjoy every minute. We are happy to see their continuous zeal in all our virtual learning sessions and are sure that giving them access to joy in learning will make it a lifelong journey.

The enthusiasm and eagerness to learn are uplifting and propel us to want to do all that we can to ensure that learning continues through this crisis.

A heartfelt thanks to all our volunteers — Santhosh, Radha Radhakrishnan, Amit Jain, Ravi Maney, Divya Raghavan, Dileep V,Naveen Bhargav,Sunitha, Anchal, Anjali Prayag, Brijesh Patel, Srikala Bhashyam, Nita Thadaka, Preeti Prayag, Shamya Dasgupta, Dr Shashi Rao, Srilaxmi, Smita, Aditya Bose, Jyothi Kunjoor, Jean, Malarkodi , Arunima Chandra, Lakshmi SS, Sherly Kumar, Shalika ,Shilpa N, Venkatesh Murthy & Nagaraj Deshpande — as their support is an expression of our wish to sustain the learning process. The compassion you have shown towards the youngsters we work with is an inspiration for us all. Thank you for helping us out, truly grateful to you.

I am aware that it is a very difficult time to ask for volunteer support, but it is also a time to spread the joy of learning and making a difference. There is no joy greater than lending a helping hand.

So, if one wishes to share his/her journey, or is willing to facilitate online sessions, do write to us at – youthengagement@udhyam.org or call me on +919945602202

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